WELLINGTON–Rugby World Cup matches won’t be held in Christchurch after a February earthquake severely damaged the country’s second largest city and caused damaged to the city’s rugby stadium and pitch, the New Zealand government said Wednesday.

“We were confronted with a range of risks and uncertainties that were unacceptable. The risks of proceeding as planned are too great,” Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully said following a meeting of government ministers and International Rugby Board officials.

The decision to move the games is another blow for the region’s economy that has been seriously impacted by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake. The tournament is expected to boost the nation’s economy by 700 million New Zealand dollars (US$512 million), according to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, but little of this will be felt in Christchurch now that the games have been moved.